How to Fix Rotting Hardwood Floors

Wood rot is one of the biggest destroyers of hardwood flooring if left untreated, and the cold and rainy winter months is when your floor is most susceptible to rotting! Wood rot is caused from excess moisture building up in your wood flooring or in the crawl space under your flooring. While this is alarming, the good news is if this condition is caught early enough it is repairable with the right tools and the right flooring professionals to do the job correctly.

So how do you know if you have wood rot?

Here are some of the major indicators:
  • Increase in floor creakiness
  • Visible cracks
  • Flooring has become bouncy
  • You’ve noticed a musty odor
  • Increase in humidity
  • Floor discoloration and/or spotting


Floor rot could also be a risk in your home if you’ve recently:
  • Had a dust mite problem, seeing as how they love moist spaces
  • Seen mold around your home, which spreads throughout your home and flooring
  • Your home, or a room in your home, has recently flooded


If you can relate to any of the above warning flags then it’s time to call an affordable San Diego flooring professional before it’s too late. The danger of wood rot is that is can spread throughout the entire floor if left untreated and compromise the structure of your home and your health.

Once a professional has identified your flooring problem as either wet rot or dry rot, the repair process can begin. Dry rot, or Brown Rot, causes brown spots to appear on the surface of your flooring along with small cracks. Wet Rot on the other hand, also known as White Rot, causes your floor to appear yellow or white in color, soft, fibrous and stringy as it decays.

Treating the problem to ensure that all the rot is gone could involve replacing the damaged floor and subfloor, sterilizing the home, applying a fungicidal treatment to all of your flooring and ultimately locating and fixing the source of the moisture.

How to Prevent Future Wood Rot:
  • Make sure all home insulation is up to date and high in quality to prevent excess moisture from entering your house.
  • Get all flooring installed by professional flooring experts so that there are no gaps in your in your new San Diego hardwood flooring where water can enter.
  • Purchase a dehumidifier for damp areas of your home like the bathroom and basement.


Taking on the task of repairing wood rot yourself can be costly and if not done correctly it will not prevent the rot from reappearing. If you’re looking for an affordable solution, call the flooring experts at Unique Flooring in San Diego, CA. Our team has the experience, knowledge and tools to fix and install your flooring quickly, efficiently and correctly the first time all while sticking to your budget.

To talk to one of our staff members or to set up your flooring consultation, call us at today at 760.945.0010!